Tentering machine



March 30, 1954 T. c. ROBERTS TENTERING MACHINE:

Filed Dec.

4 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR. Womans' l-Qoef/s AT TO RNEYS March 30, 1954 T, C, RQBERTS 2,573,384

TENTERING MACHINE Filed Dec. 2l, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 l IIIIIIIII INVENTOR. 7% om as ago/2e nfs ATTORNYS.

'March 30, 1954 T. c. ROBERTS 2,673,384 TENTERING MACHINE Filed Dec. 21, 1951 4'sheets-sheet s ATTORNEYS.

March 30, 1954 T. c. ROBERTS 2,673,384

TENTERING MACHINE Filed Dec. 21, 1951 D s a J0 INVENTOR. Robe rfs A TTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 30, 1954 TEN TERIN G MACHINE Thomas C. Roberts, Warwick,

R. I., assignor to Winsor & Jerauld Manufacturing Company, a

corporation of Maine Application December 21, 1951, Serial No. 262,858

8 Claims.

This invention relates to handling material in web form and is concerned particularly with a tentering machine of the type in which the opposite edges or selvedges of a piece of web fabric are engaged by pins piercing the fabric.

In the use of a machine of this character, it is common to feed a web fabric into the tentering machine at a rate faster than the fabric is carried through the machine so that there may be a shrinking of the fabric in a predetermined ratio. A problem which is encountered in such feeding is the accurate guiding of the fabric web into such a pin tentering machine.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a means by which the web fabric may be accurately guided into the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a preliminary tentering frame which will serve to accurately guide the fabric into the pin tentering frame, and more specifically an object of the invention is to use a clip type preliminary tenter for guiding the web fabric to the pin type tenter.

Another object of the invention is to drive the opposite sides of the machine together Without connecting shafting which may interfere with the travel of the Work.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electric drive for the main tenter and through an electrical pacing motor which is electrically locked to the drive for the preliminary tenter, control the drive of the preliminary tenter so that it will maintain a paced relation with reference to the drive of the main tenter frame.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electrical drive for the main tenter frame which drive operates a pacing motor which may be varied with reference to the drive of the main tenter frame and which pacing motor will control speed ratio.

Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement so that the relative feed of the main tenter frame to that of the feed and preliminary tenter frame guide may be varied by a single adjustment of the pacing motor.

Another object of the invention is to provide 2 individual drives on the chains which engage the fabric and electrically tie all of these drives together.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View of the web-treating apparatus;

Figure 2 is a plan view illustrating one end of the apparatus on a larger scale than Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view illustrating the other end of the apparatus on a larger scale than shown in Figure l;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4 4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a diagrammatical view showing the drive of the feed rolls and control motors for the metering roll;

Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing the metering roll and the brush for placing the fabric on the pins of the main tentering frame;

Figure 8 is a perspective View, largely diagramwhich are partly shown in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a top-plan view showing the drive for the metering roll and the brush which is hidden in Figure 3; and

Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view of the electric wiring for the motors.

In proceeding with this invention, I have provided a main tenter frame in a somewhat usual main pin tenter frame for engaging and retaining the opposite selvedges of the fabric.

A main electric motor serves to mechanically drive the main frame and also serves to drive a pacing motor through which individual electric motors for the chains of the preliminary tenter are driven and through which a motor for the feed rolls is driven, all of which are electrically locked so as to operate in synchronism or at a definitely iixed speed ratio. Additionally there are metering m-otors for each edge of the fabric which are controlled by an additional pacing motor driven from the drive of the feed rolls in a manner which may be varied so that the metering roll motor may be varied as to its speed ratio with reference to the other motors of the machine.

As the invention in this application resides more particularly in the arrangement of the parts than in the detailed structure, the drawings are largely diagrammatic. in Figure l, I have shown in plan the main tentering frame which I designate i and which has lines of traveling retaining elements li-l which in this particular instance are links of a chain with the links carrying the pins. These links are shown at l2 in Figures 7 and S with pins i3 in spaced relation and upstanding from each of the links i2 when in their uppermost horizontal position. The traveling retaining elements or chains H are guided along rails iQ- i which may be adjusted to space them in accordance with the web being treated by shafts i i6 (Figures 2 and 3) driven through a lengthwise extending common shaft il' and bevelled gears i5 and i2 for a shaft i5 and bevel gears 2i! and 2i for the shaft It. i1 is driven from the shaft 22 by universal ioints 23 and Li/l1 at its opposite ends from a bevel gear arrangement connecting it to the motor 25. The chains or traveling web retaining elements are driven from an electrical main driving motor 25 which operates armature shaft E?, sprocket gear 2B, sprocket chain 29, sprocket gear 3l on shaft Si), sprocket gear 32, sprocket chain 33 and sprocket gear 3@ xed on shaft 35 which drives the gears S--B to operate the chains carrying the links i2 with pins i3. Suitable framework is provided for supporting these rails in a known manner. A pacing motor 31 is also operated from shaft 3Q through a variable speed mechanism 3S which may be adjusted by handle 39 to vary the speed of the pacing motor 31.

At the opposite end of the main tenter frame, E have provided an auxiliary tenter frame t@ (Figure l). (See also Figure 3.) This auxiliary tenter frame has lines of traveling web retaining elements di (see Figure 5) which are in the form of known chain links of clip form 42 having a fixed jaw and also a swinging jaw 43 which is operated by the arm ed which is engaged by a cam for releasing the jaw from the fabric as the ciips come to the end of their line of travel. These traveling web retaining elements 4l also move about rails i5-45 (Figure 3) which may be adjusted widthwise in a manner similar to that described in connection with the adjustment of the rails iii of the main tenter frame for different p widths of web. The rails in this case are also provided with sections 66--45 for aligning of the web, which sections are pivoted as at i1-41 so that these rail sections may be individually swung with reference to the rail sections 45 for alignment of the rails to the web. Guiders lil-e8 are also provided which engage the edges of the web and assist in relatively positioning the web with reference to the rail sections 45 so that the Web will be fed into the preliminary tenter li@ with its selvedge edges parallel and in a straight line. Motors i5-i9 will operate the rail sections 46 in response to the guiders 48-48 for relatively shiftlng the sections i6 in positioning the web in the preliminary tenter. The chains of the prelim- The shaft inary tenter are driven from individual motors 5t-5B which motors are electrically locked with the pacing motor 31. By this arrangement of individual motors 513-50, a cross shaft for driving the chains in unison is eliminated, thus leaving an unobstructed path for the movement of the web.

As the fabric work or web designated 5l leaves the preliminary tenter, the drum 52 (Figure 5) releases the clips from the fabric as they pass about the sprocket for returning along the rail to the entering end of the preliminary tenter frame. Thefabric then passes through a feeding means designated generally as 55 in which it travels over rolls 56-51 (Figure 8) and thence is guided about metering rolls 58 at either side of the feeding means 55 and thence over guide rolls 53 from whence it is placed on to the pins I3 of the links i2 by the brush 6i). The fabric is nipped between the metering roll 5B and the roll 59, and the drive of the metering roll determines the amount of fabric which is placed upon the pins of the links l2. The metering roll causes fabric to be placed on the pin chains at a rate of travel greater than the travel of the chains so that there is soms puckering of the fabric as it is engaged by the pin chains, as shown more clearly in Figures l and 8.

This metering roll 58 is mounted on shaft 6l on which there is also a gear r62 (Figure 9) which gear is driven from the pinion 63 by an individual motor Sii. Pinion 63 also drives gear 65 on shaft t5 upon which the brush 60 is also mounted. This construction is duplicated on eachl side of the machine, and the individual motors 6A are shown in dotted lines in Figure 3 and in full in Figure 4. An electric motor 51 (Figure 4) 0perates shaft 68 upon which there is a sprocket 59 which through chain 69 drives sprocket gear 1li (Figure 6) for rotating shaft 1| upon which roll 51 (Figure 5) is mounted. On this shaft 1l there is a sprocket 12 which drives sprocket 13 through sprocket chain 14 to drive shaft 15 upon which the roll 55 is fixed. The shaft 68 also has on it a Reeves drive mechanism comprising pulley 1t and pulley 11 and belt 18 to control the speed of shaft 19 for driving the pacing motor 86. The motors Se are electrically locked to the motor 8@ so as to be operable in a definite rate relation with reference thereto and this may be varied with reference to the other motors of the machine by reason of the Reeves drive indicated at l, 11, and 18. Motors 50-50 and 61 are electrically locked to the pacing motor 31 so that these will operate in a selected rate with relation to the drive 26 for the main frame through the variable gears 38.

The electrical lock above referred to comprises a connection between the electrical motors as shown in Figure 10. Thus the fields or stators of each of the motors 31, 50, 50, and 51 are connected together as shown by the leads 90, 9i, and 92, While the rotors or secondaries of these motors are connected together by the leads 93, 94, and 95, thus insuring that whatever happens in motor 31 as to its speed of rotation will also occur in motors 50, 5B and El. As above referred to, there is a mechanical connection between electrical motor e1 and the second pacing motor 80 as shown in Figure 4, but here again the motors 80, 54, and Bd have their fields or stators connected together by leads 96, and 91, while their rotors or secondaries are connected together by leads 98', 99, and I00,.thus assuring that whatever speed of rotation occurs in pacing motor will also be duplicated in the electrical motors '64, 64 which are connected thereto as indicated in the diagram in Figure 10. 'I'his electrical lock thus provides that there will be synchronous operations a1- though as a group they may be varied by varying a pacing motor where desired.

By the alignment indicated above, a very accurate guiding is provided for the entering of the web into a pin tenter frame, and the relative speeds for overdriving of the web with reference to the travel of the pin links is controlled through electrical locks which may be varied so that the relative speeds of the pin links and the delivery of the fabric to the pin links may be adjusted. 'I'he electric drives by individual motors eliminates a cross shafting for driving the opposite side of the apparatus in synchronism, thus leaving the space clear and free for the travel of a web through the machine.

I claim:

1. A web treating apparatus comprising a main tenter frame having lines of travelling retaining elements which remain xed after preset for a web width, means for lfeeding and attaching a web onto said retaining elements comprising a preliminary tenter frame having lines of travelling retaining elements for guiding the web to the main tenter frame, and web guiding means including at least one guide roll positioned vertically between said preliminary tenter frame and said main tenter frame, said preliminary tenter frame being positioned above the level of the main tenter frame, the retaining elements of said preliminary tenter frame being in over-lapping relation and in line with the retaining elements of said main tenter frame.

2. A web treating apparatus as in `claim l wherein each of the travelling elements of the preliminary tenter frame are laterally displaceable for guiding the web.

3. A web treating apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the lines of traveling elements of the preliminary tenter frame travel at a faster linear rate than the traveling elements of the main tenter frame.

4. A web treating apparatus comprising a main tenter frame having two lines of traveling retaining elements, means feeding a web into said frame comprising a metering roll, a first induction motor mechanically coupled to said roll, a second induction motor mechanically coupled to said traveling retaining elements through a variable speed device, the rotors of said rst and second induction motors being electrically connected together to maintain them in synchronism.

5. A web treating apparatus as in claim 4 wherein a separate electric motor is mechanically coupled to said traveling elements for imparting motion thereto.

6. In a web treating apparatus having a main tenter frame with two lines of traveling retaining elements and a preliminary tenter frame with two lines of traveling retaining elements, a rst induction motor mechanically coupled to the traveling elements of said main frame, second and third induction motors each mechanically coupled to a separate line of traveling elements on said preliminary frame, the rotors of each oi said induction motors being electrically connected together to maintain them in synchronism.

7. An apparatus as in claim 6 wherein a separate electric drive motor is mechanically coupled to the traveling elements of said main frame for imparting motion thereto.

8. An apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said rst induction motor is mechanically coupled to the traveling elements of said main frame through a speed changing device.

THOMAS C. ROBERTS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,734,897 Cluett Nov. 5, 1929 1,754,089 France Apr. 8, 1930 1,758,697 Hamilton May 13, 1930 2,006,814 Payet July 2, 1935 2,577,880 Dodge Dec. 11, 1951 2,580,233 Laurie Dec. 25, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 125,735 Germany Dec. 30, 1901 

